Device for opening and closing sliding doors



Dec. 18 1923.

W. J. DOOLEY DEVICE FOR OPENING AND C LOSI NG SLIDING DOORS 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15.

If Ii INVENTOR wmuq/vdfiooze Mmsssss ATTORNEYS Dec. 18, was. mmgz W. J. DOOLEY DEVICE FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SLIDING DOORS Filed Sept. 15. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 3 M4; naive/$900445 I BY v Patented Dec. 18, 1%23.

STfaTE WILLIAM J. DOOLEY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR (BPENING- AND CLOSING- SLIDING DOORS.

Application filed September To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, VVILLIAM J. DooLnY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New Yorlr, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Im-' proved Device for Opening and Closing Sliding Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has relation to a device for opening or closing sliding doors, and refers more particularly to a device applicable to steel freight car doors, the same to be employed where the door has become jammed or otherwise diflicult to move.

The invention contemplates a simple, inexpensive and compact device, readily capable of association or disassociation with the car and door for effectively moving the same to open or closed position with a minimum of effort and without in any way injuring the door or doorway.

With the above recited and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed and by variations in the phraseology of the same.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a car with the device in associatedvrelation for effecting the opening of the door.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragn'ientau sectional plan view taken approximately on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is an enlarged side view of the device removed.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken approximately on the line d--% of Fi ure 3.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 designates a freight car provided with the usual door opening 11 and sliding door 12 for closing the same, which door is supported by the hangers 13 from a track 1 1. I

The device constituting the invention, which serves as a means for sliding the door to open or closed position when the same 15, 1921. Serial no. 500,987.

has become jammed, stuck or otherwise difiicult to move, comprises a member A. adapted to be associated with the door, which member includes a rectangular frame 15 having mounted transversely therein a drum shaft 16 in the bearings 17. A drum 18 is secured on the medial portion of the drum shaft for rotation therewith, while the opposite extremities of the drum shaft extend outwardly from the bearings 17 and are provided with oppositely disposed sets of ratchet teeth 19 and 20, which are designed to coact with the a pawl 21 pivotally mounted as at 22 in the head 23 of a nianips vulating lever 2-1. The head 23 is provided with a transverse opening 25 of a diameter to snugly receive the extremities of the drum shaft 16. The pawl 21 is normally forced into engagement w'th the teeth of the ratchets by a spring 26, whereby the manipulating lever will operate to turn the drum and drum shaft in one direction, while the same will freely move in the opposite direction to obtain a new purchase on the ratchet teeth. By associating the manipulating lever with the opposlte extremities of the drum shaft, rotation of the drum shaft in opposite directions may be effected. The member A is especially designed to coact with a steel car door of a type which includes at its opposite ends a channeled flange 12, into which one extremity of the rectangular frame is insertable. In order to hold the member A against casual displacement, the upper and lower side rails of the frame adjacent one end are provided with inclined notches 27, into which wedges 28 are driven to coact with the channeled flange 12 and the inclined walls of the notches to frictionally retain the member A in place. The device further includes a flexible element 29, such as a cable or rope which is anchored at one extremity 30 to an apertured bracket 31 on the car or door support. The opposite free end of the cable 29 is wound about the drum with its free terminal extendin in the opposite direction from its anchored terminal. To effect the opening or closing of the door, the manipulating lever 24: is actuated to rotate the drum in a direction opposite the direction of travel of the door, thereby winding new convolutions in that portion of the cable lying between the anchored terminal and the drum and unwinding that portion of the cable between its free terminal and the drum, which free terminal is heldby the operator. This operation will serve to advance the member A toward anchored terminal of the cable and the member A due to its engagement with the channeled flange 12 of the door, will effect the opening or closing of the door without injury to the door or door support.

It will thus be seen that a simple compact device has been -devised which will positively effect movement of the door and which is readily applicable to andremovable from the car.

I claim: r

1. A portable device for facilitating the opening and closing of sliding doors com prising a pair of intere'ngageable members, means for detachab-ly securing said members respectively to a door and door support, manipulating means at the point of interengagement of said members for effecting theadvancement of the door toward the member secured to the door support, one of said members comprising a flexible lement, anc means atone extremity therm detachably securing the same to the door sup-- port, tl e other of said members consisting of a frame, means for detachably securing the same to the door, a drum rotatably mounted in said frame and adapted to have wound thereon the: free extremity of the an d flexible element, and means for manipulatlng said drum to effect the rotation thereof and winding of the flexible element thereon.

2. The combination with a door support having a door opening therethrough and a sliding door mounted for association therewith and provided with a channeled flange at its forward edge, of a detachable device for moving the door to covering or uncovering position with respect to the door opening, including a member adapted to be a sociated with the door, said member comprising a frame provided at its forward edge with upper and lower inclined notches, said notched forward edge being adapted to underlie the channeled flange at the forward edge of the door, wedges insertab'le within said notches for anchoring the frame in place, a rotary drum mounted in the frame, means for manipulating said drum to rotate the same, and a second member consisting of a cable, means for anchoring one extremity of said cable to the frame support, said cable having a portion thereof coiled about the drum whereby upon rotation of the drum the cable will coact therewith to advance the first member together with the door toward the anchored end of the cable.

WILLIAM J. nectar. 

